August 28, 2008

College Football

Today the 2008 college football season begins, so it's time for my annual shout-out to FanBlogs, which is an indispensable resource for gridiron enthusiasts.

For the etymologists: gridiron has multiple definitions, and according to the Online Etymology Dictionary its origin is "c.1330, griderne, alteration (by association with iron) of gridire (c.1290), a variant of gridil (see griddle). Confusion of "l" and "r" was common in Norman dialect." It's unclear when the word began to be applied to a football field, although it's evident that the yard markers and hash marks make up a pattern similar to the definition "A flat framework of parallel metal bars used for broiling meat or fish."